ESTABLISHING A SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICER IN YEMEN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SANAA 003588

SIPDIS

TO S/CT COORDINATOR HENRY A. CRUMPTON FROM THE AMBASSADOR

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/27/2015
TAGS: PTER MASS YM
SUBJECT: ESTABLISHING A SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICER IN YEMEN

Classified By: AMBASSADOR THOMAS C. KRAJESKI, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) and (
D).


1. (C) Department of Defense (DOD) personnel posted in Yemen
have been instrumental in supporting both the Department and
post's goals of improving Yemen's capacity to combat
terrorism. The combined use of diplomacy and military
cooperation is a cornerstone of our engagement policy.
Through the Office of Military Cooperation (OMC),Combined
Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa Country Coordinating
Element-Yemen (CCE-Y),and the Defense Attach Office (DAO),
military personnel have worked diligently with the Yemen
armed forces, Coast Guard, and the Central Security Forces to
successfully improve Yemen's ability to counter the terrorist
threat.


2. (C) Since 9/11 and the creation of the Combined Joint
Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA),CENTCOM has steadily
increased its presence in Yemen. State and DOD personnel
have adapted to the increased staffing level through
excellent personal relationships and informal arrangements.
A lack of formalized institutional arrangements with various
military elements, however, makes coordination of military
activities dependant upon personalities as opposed to a
chain-of-command, and hinders post's ability to provide an
adequate level of administration support and diplomatic
protection.


3. (C) In an effort to better support and integrate the
efforts of military personnel in Yemen, post recommends the
following:

- Establish a Senior Defense Officer with authority over
all military organizations at post

- Formalize all military positions and
organizations
under NSDD 38


4. (C) A unified command structure under the NSDD 38 system
would establish a clear chain-of-command, allow the Chief of
Mission to confer diplomatic protections to military
personnel, and secure sufficient administrative resources to
support DOD's important mission of strengthening Yemen's
ability to combat terrorism.

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Current Situation
--------------


5. (C) Currently, five separate military organizations are
represented at post:

- Office of Military Cooperation (4 positions and 6 TDYers)
- Defense Attach Office (5 positions)
- Force Protection Detachment (3 positions)
- NAVCENT Liaison Officer (1 position)
- CJTF-HOA CCE (15 positions and 15-30
TDYers
each month)


6. (C) Averaging 30 people in-country daily, DOD personnel
account for 30 percent of total Embassy staff. Only OMC,
DAO, and FPD are established under the NSDD 38 process.
NAVCENT and CJTF-HOA personnel operate without diplomatic
protections and are not considered permanent embassy staff,
which prevents post from allocating the appropriate level of
resources to meet their administrative needs. The US
Defense Representative (USDR) is the Ambassador's senior
military representative, but he has no established written
authority over the other military organizations.

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Benefits of a Unified Command with NSDD 38 Positions
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7. (C) Chain-of-Command: Although the current relationship
between the military organizations is excellent, it is
personality dependent. An established chain-of-command that
covers all military organizations under Chief of Mission
authority is necessary to ensure consistent and effective
cooperation, both to support DOD's mission and post's Mission
Performance Plan (MPP).


8. (C) Formalized Positions. CJTF-HOA elements are still
deployed on TDY status to Yemen, even though the office has
been operating for over two years. Creating permanent
positions under the NSDD 38 system would grant military
personnel proper diplomatic protection and allow post to
accurately reflect the support demands placed on the embassy
by the increased numbers. Diplomatic protection is
especially important in Yemen since there is no Status of
Forces Agreement and one is not anticipated in the
foreseeable future.

--------------
Way Ahead
--------------


9. (C) Non-NSDD 38 military organizations are working on
MOAs with the Embassy. This, however, is only a temporary
solution until all military positions are designated under
the NSDD 38 process. Post recommends S/CT coordinate with
CENTCOM, Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA),and DOD
to ensure coordination and acceptance of post's proposal to
designate all military positions under NSDD 38 and the
authority of the USDR.


10. (C) Post understands that Yemen might be one of the test
cases for the DOD Senior Defense Official (SDO) concept,
where the OMC and DAO would be under the USDR. The SDO for
Yemen should not be limited to just the OMC and DAO but
address all military organizations at the Embassy. In
addition, post would prefer seeing the NSDD 38 process
started before implementation of the SDO concept to ensure
that adequate diplomatic protections and administration
support are given to all DOD personnel.
Krajeski